Bona Basketball Non-Conference Preview: Home Version

Here is the second installment of previews, this time for the home games. These are the times that we get to ride on the opposition an hour before the game starts, the times that we allow the RC to be a feared place to travel, and the times that we get to act like complete idiots (sometimes) on national TV.

The Garbage Plates (in a good way)

11/29 vs. Niagara Purple Eagles at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY
This is my favorite of the non-conference schedule. Bonas will be back to play a game in Buffalo, and many students/alum will attend. It helps that the game is on the Saturday of Thanksgiving Break for students and it should hopefully have the feel of a home game. Niagara may not be as strong of a team this year, as Antoine Mason (2nd highest scorer in the country) has fled to Auburn. Who knows how far they may drop, seeing that they were already 7-26 and 3-17 in the MAAC last year. However, the game is an interesting one as the series has been close over recent history. Bonas won at NU 74-72 last year, won 80-75 at the Blue Cross Arena in ’12-’13, and won 72-70 at NU in ’11-’12. A rivalry that has gone down to the wire like that the past three years is sure to create some hype. People are questioning the George Mason game being played in Rochester; you will not hear anyone criticizing Niagara in Buffalo.

RC Café Meal

12/3 vs. Buffalo Bulls
The final rivalry game, and probably the one that gets the least love. This will be the last game for the students for over a month in the RC. Javon McCrea has moved on, but I see Will Regan filling his hole nicely. UB shot a lot of the 3-ball to beat us last year, going 8-23, not to mention us shooting 1-10 from that range. I generally felt as if that was the way to get after Bonas last year, and hope to see it improved upon. This should be a good fun rivalry game, right before the long break.

The Hickey Hamburgers (not a good thing)

11/15 vs. Dartmouth Big Green
This would fall under the category of usual tune-up game for the Brown and White. Think Abilene Christian last year or Bethune Cookman two years ago. I would hope that Bonas could handle Dartmouth, without much of a scare which came in the first half of games like this last year. We were up only eight at the half against Abilene Christian and it was 35-30 a bit into the second half against South Dakota. Darmouth went 5-9 in a bad Ivy League last year, and we are the second biggest name on their non-conference schedule (Penn State).

11/25 vs. Jackson State Tigers
If you uttered “Who?” when you first saw this, you are not an owl. They would be located in Jackson, Mississippi (ahh…I get it) and play in the SWAC. Their representative would have been Texas Southern last year in the tournament. They played in a first round 16-seed game and lost to Cal Poly. Oh you didn’t catch that game? Yeah, me either. Good game to have when probably not many students will be in the RC, as Thanksgiving Break starts that day.

12/22 vs. Maryland-East Shore Hawks
If you sounded like an owl again, I cannot blame you. I am not too sure where we find these colleges, but this is a last tune-up game for the year. They finished dead last in the MEAC last year, going 6-24 along with 4-12…so that’s good. They are a popular choice for a tune-up game as they play Nova, VCU, Duquesne, and Virginia Tech. Build some confidence going into Christmas.

Bona Basketball Non-Conference Preview: Away Version

Bona basketball is almost back as the calendar has struck October. Many of us can remember the feeling of watching Jordan Gathers find the bottom of the net to stun St. Louis last March. For me personally, it sends a chill down the spine. Those are the moments that one remembers forever and ever and the pandemonium that ensued. The Bonnies will be back in a month or so, the previews will continue to rank us low in the Atlantic 10, and if the trend continues the Bonnies will continue to surprise. I wanted to take a look at the Bonnies’ non-conference schedule (away games first) to preview the season:

The Garbage Plates (in a good way)

12/13 at Pittsburgh Panthers
This would be the one major conference game that Bonas pulls throughout the year. Last year was Wake Forest, and the two prior would have been North Carolina State. They would be 0-3 in those games, with an asterisk placed next to the NC State game at the Blue Cross. They will of course have to travel, but the good news is that it is not a long trip. It will be interesting to see what Jamie Dixon draws up against us, especially Youssou Ndoye. Pitt has one player listed at 6’10” and he saw a grand total of 23 minutes of action last year. You should have three inches on everyone on the court. Pitt may have gone 26-10 last year and 11-7 in the ACC, but they lost their two highest scorers, highest rebounder, and highest assist man.

RC Café Meal (tasty game)

11/22 at Canisius Golden Griffins
Another rivalry game, so there will of course be interest in the Western New York area. Canisius may have surprised some heads with a 21-13 and 14-6 MAAC record last year, yet Bonas trumped Baron & Co. 86-64 in the RC last season. Personally, it was one of the most entertaining games I have seen in about the four years that I have paid attention. Bonas played a complete game through and through and yelling at “three buses of Canisius fans” never gets old. Billy Baron has moved on, yet I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing for Bonas. We looked like we were salivating to beat him. The result of this game will be an interesting one, I was disappointed when Bonas laid a duck here two years ago losing 72-69.

12/6 at Ohio Bobcats
I am glad that we get the opportunity to play Ohio again. We played a tight, contested, back-and-forth game against them two years ago. Of course, we have the infamous 4-OT Andrew Nicholson performance against them as well. This is a good team and a good test on the road, possibly as close as we can come to A-10 competition level. Ohio went 25-12 and 11-7 in the MAC last year. They return their top rebounder and second-leading scorer in Maurice Ndour, also from Senegal. He will be a tough test to bang bodies with Youssou. This is a good barometer in order to see how the team is progressing.

12/30 at Delaware Blue Hens
Probably the most difficult game to rank, it could have been listed in the category below. They are coming off of a tournament appearance after going 25-10 and 14-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They lost in the first round as a #13 seed to #4 seed Michigan St by fifteen. They were a high-flying scoring team last year, being the 24th ranked offense in the nation. The teams will be playing exactly 365 days after they did last year, in the RC. Bonas played a well-polished game that day and won 80-73. I was able to attend that game and two things that stick out from its box score would be that You had six…six blocks and we were up twelve at the half. Matt Wright was 10-16 for 23 points; it will be interesting to see how Bonas plays this game in their final test before A-10 play. The Blue Hens may have had a legitimate postseason run in them last year, but they lost their top four scorers for this season.

When the Hickey Has Something You Kinda-Sorta Like (it will have to do)

11/19 at Siena Saints
The Franciscan Cup, the most coveted cup in the land. This series has been in existence since 2010 and Bonas leads 3-1. However, the cup would currently be held in Albany and not Olean. Do people really care about where the cup is? I guess enough to not land it as a “Hickey Hamburger.” We lost last year due to more of a fluke than anything, the runner in the lane that landed Siena a 72-70 win on their home turf. Just to mention: why is this game on the road for us again this year? Siena played better than expected last year going 20-18 and 11-9 in the MAAC. They actually won the CBI Tournament, with wins over Stony Brook, Penn State, Illinois State, and going 2-1 in the final series against Fresno State. They return their top two scorers, and the “postseason” experience may have only helped them. It would be tough to see Siena dropping 48 in the first half like last year, yet we will see.

12/20 at Binghamton Bearcats
This is another game that I have to question why the former Brown Indians need to travel. I mean we have five non-conference home games (one in Buffalo) and six road games. It is listed in this space only due to the proximity of the teams. Binghamton was 7-23 last year with a 4-12 showing in the America East Conference. Not to mention they were 344th in the nation at 61.3 points per game. To put this team into perspective, they lost to UMass-Lowell twice last year…by twelve at home and seven on the road.

I will have the home game previews within the next few days.

Let the ranting begin

Well, this is going to be about sports.  And if you didn’t know that this was going to be about sports then A) you probably can’t understand a theme and B) you don’t know me.  I guess it is entirely possible that you don’t know me, but my writing will bring insight into that.  I’ll start off by saying that I do have favorite sports teams, as any actual fan of sports does.  They would be (in a relatively important order): the New York Yankees, the Minnesota Vikings, the Buffalo Sabres, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, the New York Knicks, and the RIT Tigers.  They each have a special place in my heart, and never expect any of them to change.  I will follow that up with the fact that I will try to talk about them as little as possible, and if I do, it will probably be in a bashing fashion.  I have a very wide interest in sports, and it effects just about every waking moment of my life.  I understand that that may seem naïve, or pointless, but hey there is something that gets you out of bed in the morning.

I guess I can begin my first rant at this point.  Being that it is the month of October that means one thing, no not pumpkin spice lattes and the coming of the Uggs, but playoff baseball.  It has been a pretty entertaining post-season so far, witnessing a game 163 and Buctober was cool for a wee bit.  However, my rant will be aimed at the Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics.  The Indians were able to become the lead pony in the hectic AL Wild Card scene down the stretch, earning a home game against the Tampa Bay Rays for the wild card game.  The A’s looked awfully good in September and were able to win the AL West, meaning a divisional series against the Detroit Tigers.

Now I realize in both of the games I am about to talk about that the teams scored a combined zero runs, and well you can’t win that way last time I checked.  However, in the Indians game they decided to throw Danny Salazar, a rookie with ten starts in the big leagues.  The Indians went on to lose 4-0, but my question is did starting Salazar really give them the best chance of winning that game?  I know it was his turn in the rotation, but Justin Masterson pitched in relief.  Your ace was pretty well rested from not starting for most of September, so what were you saving him for your hopeful Game 1 of the ALDS?  Toss zeroes with your ace.

Now, please keep in mind that I was actually rooting for these teams in each of these games.  The A’s came down to the winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS with the Tigers.  Bob Melvin decided to throw his rookie Sonny Gray, who had made waves after his sparkler in Game 2.  Evidently, he decided that Gray made more sense than the revitalized, ever-so-slim Bartolo Colon.  Going up against Justin Verlander, and knowing that you aren’t an offensive team means you need zeroes!  How can you have faith in a 23 year old that only made twelve appearances all year?  Start the more proven guy.

Maybe I’m wrong, but sometimes I wonder if I could do your job.